Do you remember your baby's birth? First smile? First tooth? These are things you couldn't possibly forget, right? Wrong. I thought I'd remember all this stuff, but my baby is only 14 months old and I'm already starting to get a little fuzzy about those early days, and even her big developmental milestones. That's why a baby memory book is such a good idea. Of course, I always forget to update it.
But you shouldn't really take my word (I've self-diagnosed myself with Alzheimer's). Instead, check this out: Researchers in Britain found that people are more likely to remember historical events (like 9/11 and Princess Diana's death) than their first kiss or baby's birth. Eighty-one percent of participants remembered who told them about 9/11, 92 percent knew where they were when they heard about it, and 71 percent knew what they were doing at the time. In contrast, only 50 percent of the participants could remember their first child's first birthday. Fifty percent.
We could blame Mommy Brain-after all, lots of us have even forgotten our baby's name. But these people could remember all kinds of other things. Some 81 percent of respondents could vividly recollect the death of a close relative; 76 percent could picture the first date with their partner. Around 72 percent could summon their wedding day with clarity, while 66 percent could easily describe their first kiss. Again: Only 50 percent of the participants could remember their first child's first birthday.
Do you think there's any truth to this? Or maybe the 50 percent who couldn't remember were dads?
Where were you when you went into labor? Do you remember your baby's birthday? What's the first thing you did? How did you get to the hospital? What were you wearing? Tell me everything.
By Suzanne Murray, Baby Buzz blogger, CafeMom.com
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